this is on my daily driver. im off until monday, then i work mon-wednesday, then im off again until sunday, so i have about 2 weeks to get this done, but i'd like to do it in 4 or 5. i had 4.10's and i want to go with 3.42's or 3.73's but im leaning towards the 3.42s. its an auburn posi carrier. just new gears and have them rebuild the auburn, or try to find a rear out of a 4th gen to swap in? i've heard the labor to install a set of gears is like 500 bucks, im waiting for the guy to call me back now and tell me how much it is, and i know gears are about 200-300. 4th gen rears can be found used for about 500-700 but i dont know if i can get one soon. also brand of gears should i be looking at? i kind of shying away from richmond since thats what i had before. i saw some new motive ones on hawks third gen, for 300 with the installation kit. the richmond with kit would be about 340 but have axle bearings, shims, sleeves, seals gaskets, thread locker, sealer, marking compound and bearings. im not sure if the new motive has all this. dont think i want to go with slp, their gears are pretty expensive.

a gear set is around 200, install kit around 150, odd parts and oil another 50. labor ought to be around 2-3 hours.

yeah i thought it was a lot more expensive... still waiting to hear the labor quote though. can you recommend a gear set?

Any of the better name-brand gear sets EXCEPT RICHMOND will be fine. The problem with the Richmonds, is that they're a purpose-built gear, specifically for drag racing; they are not meant to go high mileage on the street. Used fir their intended purpose they are an excellent product; mis-applied, they will not survive long, and will usually be unsatisfactory until they finally give up.

AAM/Motive, Dana, US Gear, Superior Gear, Precision Gear, are all good brands for a STREET gear. All of them are about $200.

This is the kit you need. http://store.summitracing.com/partde...rt=RAT%2D308TK I'd suggest a solid pinion bearing spacer rather than a crush sleeve, if your setup person knows how to use them. http://store.summitracing.com/partde...art=RAT%2D4111 I don't think you'll get anywhere with "rebuilding" an Auburn posi, at least, Auburn can't/won't help you out. As long as you have it all apart, you might as well get them to change out the axle bearings too.

Like ede said, expect 2-3 hours labor at the shop's rate. Probably something around $70-80/hr, but may vary WIDELY.

well i just called the only local "speed shop" and they quoted me 725 installed and guaranteed for a set of 3.42 precision gears. pretty much told me richmonds are junk and they wont let me buy my own gears and have them install them.

is it just me or does this seem a little excessive? it's also about 20 minutes away so id have to have the car towed.

will those ratech pieces work for any ring/pinion set?

what do you mean by if the setup person knows how to use them? are they difficult to install, and why exactly do i want solid spacers?

Yes they will work with any R&P that is correct for the rear.

The solid spacer allows one to tighten the pinion nut as tight as one wishes, without having to stop tightening when the bearing preload is reached. One of the most common failure modes in these rears is for the crush sleeve to crush some more after use, which will take all the torque off the nut, which will then back off, which will cause the R&P to destroy themselves from misalignment.

$725 seems a bit high; not grossly so, but plenty profitable. Get them to do the axle bearings at that price (if they're not already). For a guaranteed install, using one of the brands I suggested actually, it might not be too bad of a deal though. Especially if you can trust this shop. Think about how much of a PITA it will be if somebody charges less but the gears don't last, and they don't stand behind their work. Whatever coins you shave off the price, will seem pretty insignificant at that point.

well i went ahead and set up the appointment for next wednesday. thing is, they said that axle bearings are not included, and would be like another 100-130 bucks. are they really that hard to install, or are these dudes just trying to bend me over even more than they already are?

i told them to do 3.73's.

You can do them yourself, easily. Takes about 5 minutes. You just have to take out the axles.

Probably best to do that first, before you take the rear to them. Take both axles out; use about a 6' long piece of 3/4" water pipe or electrical conduit stuck all the way through the tubes, catch it on the back side of the bearing on the opposite side, and knock it out. Tap the new ones back in with a drift or large flat punch or something. Use a flat piece of wood held up against the seal, and give it one HARD blow with a hammer to knock it in. DO NOT try to tap the seal in around its edge, it will leak, guaranteed.

Definitely try to get them to use the solid spacer instead of a crush sleeve.

the price they quoted was for me to drop the car off. how difficult is it to remove the rear from the car and take it to them?